In the training of military and law enforcement personnel tasked with the accurate firing of small caliber munitions, a need exists for quantifying the ability of the trainees by detecting the accuracy with which they are able to strike their intended targets. This is important not only for personnel training, but also to determine the effectiveness of various equipment systems, and as a means of calibrating such systems.
Various devices are currently employed for marking the ultimate destination of projectiles. The most used devices are pyrotechnics which produce a flash of light and a puff of smoke to indicate the site of projectile impact. One such device employs titanium tetrachloride which produces a cloud of smoke when it reacts with the moisture in the air on impact. A second such device is a red phosphorus bearing projectile which emits a flash of light upon impact.
Such devices have inherent problems, not the least of which is that the phosphorus device generates light by burning and, as a result, many items with which the burning phosphorus comes into contact also burn i.e. trees, shrubs; grass etc.; while the titanium tetrachloride devices, because they only emit smoke, are practically useless for nighttime detection.
Devices are also known which are useful for both day and night practice and do not function by burning i.e. they are cold, and therefore are free from the disadvantages attendant incendiary devices. They provide non-pyrophoric chemical light illumination as a spray of light which can be, for example, blue, yellow or green. These devices also provide a secondary benefit in that they form colored smoke which can be detected in daylight. Such devices generally comprise a hollow container adapted for insertion into a device for use in creating a signal and having fitted into the hollow space or interior thereof, (a) a fuse or percussion cap, (b) a propellant, (c) a chemiluminescent light activator solution, (d) a chemiluminescent light fluorescer solution, (e) a non-reactive enhancer capable of absorbing or adsorbing the reaction product produced upon contact of (c) and (d) which occurs upon detonation of said fuse or cap, and (f) a sealing means.
In many cases, military forces training on gunnery accuracy in larger calibers (40 mm to 155 mm) often desire to train with non-explosive ammunition. This desire may stem from safety concerns, use of public lands for training (Europe), desire to not cause wild-fires in the training area (Western USA in Summer months). Non-explosive ammunition that marks has been developed to meet this need. This ammunition usually contains a colored liquid or a colored powder. When the ammunition impacts the target area, the ammunition distorts (usually fragments) and releases the colored liquid or powder, marking the impact area. This marking allows feedback to the gunner and can be used to improve training on accuracy without causing excessive destruction or any other problems in the impact area.
A need exists for a non-explosive training round which safely exhibits nighttime visibility.